Party Nights
by idk my bff riku
Summary: Alec studied it for a moment. "Yeah. A sequined headband would definitely tie it together, though." A horrified look passed his face. "...Oh dear God!" -- alec/clary friendship.


Magnus threw fabulous parties, everyone knew that. Even though some of his guests were questionable, it didn't take away from the soiree. …Most of the time. Although, Clary was a little bit nervous to go. Jace and Isabelle had laughed at her, and maybe, if not for the fact that last time Clary went, her best friend was turned into a rat and she almost killed herself on a vampire motorcycle, she would've laughed at herself too.

And once again, Isabelle was ragging on her to actually have some fashion sense this time instead of trying to get away with just slipping on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and walking right out the door. She had even gone so low to get Jace to follow Clary around, asking her to put on this dress that Isabelle had suggested. She'd taken to hiding from him in her room – after putting up a few defensive runes, of course. One would notify her if Jace was coming so she had sufficient time to hide. And by hiding, she meant jumping out the window.

So as she was digging through her almost bare closet for something to wear _besides_ the dress that had been shoved in her face since nine this morning, a loud, almost frantic knocking surprised her. Clary straightened up, narrowly missing smacking her head against the wooden bar. The knocking came again, and it obviously wasn't Jace – he'd have barged in by now.

Moving warily over to the door, she opened it to find Alec standing there. He was looking kind of flustered, and was slightly red in the face. "Can…" he hesitated. "Can I come in?" Clary was a little startled; she and Alec hadn't talked much since… well, ever. They had an awkward relationship, somehow finding a way to excuse themselves when the other came in the room and there was no one else around.

"Sure." She moved aside for him, and he perched himself on her bed. There was an awkward two minute silence before Clary spoke up. "What are you doing here?" She asked as casually as she could, moving back to fiddle through her closet for clothes.

"Hiding from Magnus." He answered. "He wants to get me into some kind of designer suit. Gucizi or something."

"Gucci?" Clary asked, amused that she wasn't the only one having clothing… and boyfriend… trouble.

"That's it!"

They fell into an awkward silence again. Alec was fiddling with a loose string on his shirt. He looked up, clearing his throat. "So… why are you hiding out in your room and not hanging out with Jace or Isabelle?" He asked.

Clary turned back towards him. Was she really that transparent? "Who said I was hiding?" She asked.

Alec shrugged. "Usually you spend ever minute you can with other people. I never thought of you as the loner type. I guess there wasn't a better word for it." He leaned back. "Was I right?"

"Yes!" Clary threw up her hands. "I never was a good liar. Jace has been following me around all day and pushing this dress on me. It got annoying."

"Same, here."

"Jace has been following you around all day and asking you to put on a dress?"

Alec shot her a look. "No! Magnus won't leave the fact that I don't like dressing up alone." He fell back onto her bed, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I know what you mean." She plucked out a black dress that Isabelle had made her buy when they went on their last weekly shopping trip, and a pair of shoes. "Would this look okay?"

Alec studied it for a moment. "Yeah. A sequined headband would definitely tie it together, though." A horrified look passed his face. "…Oh dear God!"

Clary laughed quietly. "I think you've been hanging out with Magnus too much. His bad taste in headbands is rubbing off on you. I mean, sequined? No one wears that anymore."

He blushed, looking away from her. Then he looked up, definitely seeming brighter. "Hey, I just got an idea. We'll show them we _can_ dress up." He gestured for Clary to come over. She flopped down next to him on the bed. "Got it?" He asked, after about a minute of explaining it to her. She gave him a 'thumbs up' and headed out of the room.

About ten minutes later Alec and Clary both arrived back in her room, each carrying each others party clothes. Magnus had laughed when Clary said she'd be able to get Alec into the suit, but given it to her anyway. He would just pull another out of thin air if she did something to it. Isabelle was a little less enthusiastic. But Alec managed to get it away from her without too much violence.

Clary went into the bathroom to change, and Alec attempted to pull on the complicated mass of material. "Are you going to be okay to get that on?" Clary had asked. "Yes," He'd answered. In the end, when Clary had finished changing, she had to help Alec. He'd managed to get himself stuck somehow. And then he decided he should help Clary with her makeup…

Jace and Magnus impatiently knocked on the door twenty minutes later. There was no answer, only noise from the other side.

"Ow, Alec, stop right now!"

"Clary, come on, I can make it better… Please, give me another chance?"

"No, you're not making it better at all!"

Magnus merely cocked his head to the side in curiosity, while Jace practically knocked the door down. Alec was standing over Clary with the eyeliner in his hand and she had a hand over her eye. Tears were leaking out of the other, on which the makeup was now running because of her tears. He had poked her in the eye.

Alec turned and spotted Magnus, who was staring at him, grinning. He yelped and dived for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Clary jumped out of her chair, knocking it over, and pointed violently towards the door. "Out!" She yelled. "Out, out, out!" Jace and Magnus both took that as their cue to leave, hurrying out the door.

About half an hour later, Alec found Clary lounging on the couch in her pajamas with a bowl of popcorn. The others had left for the party, and Alec had said he wasn't in the mood to go. She was watching Scooby-Doo or something equally lame. (Secretly cool, but not that Alec would ever admit that.)

"Can I join you?" He asked from the doorway. She looked up for a moment, eyeing his non-party attire, before nodding and moving to make room for him. They sat in silence for a moment before Alec asked, "So I guess you're not going to let me try your makeup again, are you?"

And she hit him with a pillow.


End file.
